Harbor seal pupping season is underway in Pacific Grove, and monitors say the pups are being born earlier and, in some cases, thinner than in years past.

"Pupping season was a little bit early this year," said Bay Net volunteer Craig Nokes in an interview on Tuesday.

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The first pup of the season, Patty, was born on St. Patrick's Day and she seems to be doing well. Noke says Patty's birth along with six others seal pups was a week earlier than normal.

But Noke says so far, the early season doesn't seem to be affecting the health of the pups too much.

"The ones that survive, well, they might be a little bit premature, but I think they're just being born earlier in the season, but they're still full term," he said.

Another docent with Bay Net, Kim Worrell, says the pups are showing up thinner as well as earlier. Worrell said she is concerned the harbor seals may be dealing with food scarcity, the problem California sea lions are dying from. However, Worrell said so far, they haven't seen any hard evidence this is the case.

Now that pupping season is underway, the city of Pacific Grove has finished putting up the barricade, which extends from Hopkins Beach all the way around the Fifth Street Rookery in Pacific Grove. The California Coastal Commission has given the city permission to put the barricades up. The goal to keep anyone from disturbing the new pups and their mothers.